1. The Paleo Diet

The Paleo diet was popularized by an American nutritionist Loren Cordain. It tries to mimic what our palaeolithic ancestors ate and eliminates all types of modern human-made foods such as agricultural foods (grains, wheat, rice, pulses), dairy (cheese, milk, butter) and processed foods (KFC, Lays, McDonald's).

It essentially consists of meat, fruits, nuts, and leafy vegetables. The basic idea is: Since our ancestors were lean, strong and active, consuming a diet which they ate will provide us with the same attributes. The problem? This is an extremely flawed assumption.

Our ancestors were not lean and strong because of the food they ate, it was the time period on earth wherein if you didn't have those traits you would be dead. Also, our palaeolithic ancestors were spread across the earth and consumed a variety of foods depending on geographic location and availability. '

Thus following this expensive diet (nuts and red meat are expensive) is not going to speed up your muscle gain or fat loss process. And unless you do not enjoy eating these foods on a regular basis there's no need to follow this diet.

2. The GM Or General Motor Diet

If you think the name of this diet is stupid, then brace yourself for its even stupider protocol.

The GM diet was developed by the employees of a vehicle manufacturer company, General Motors in 1985. The diet does not account for calories or macro/micro-nutrients but is broken up into seven days, each with strict rules about which food groups you can consume. Here is what this diet looks like:

The diet doesn't specify the maximum or minimum amount of food to be consumed each day.

Day One

Eat only fruit — any kind except bananas.

Day Two

Eat only vegetables in raw or cooked form.

Limit potatoes to breakfast only.

Day Three

Eat only fruits and vegetables of any kind except bananas and potatoes.

Day Four

Consume only bananas and milk.

Day Five

Eat two 10-ounce (284-gram) portions of beef, chicken or fish.

In addition to the meat, you may only eat 6 whole tomatoes.

Vegetarians may replace meat with either brown rice or cottage cheese.

Day Six

Eat two 10-ounce (284-gram) portions of beef, chicken or fish.

Vegetarians may replace meat with either brown rice or cottage cheese.

Increase your water intake by two glasses to flush out extra uric acid.

Day Seven

Eat only brown rice, fruits, fruit juice, and vegetables.

Surprisingly, this diet is also recommended by some dumb Registered Dieticians. And here is the problem: except day six & seven, you are only consuming carbohydrates or fibre on the majority of days. For optimal functioning of the human body carbs are just optional (this does not mean they are bad!) but protein and fats are critical, and this diet severely lacks both.

Following this diet may result in weight loss due to the huge caloric deficit that is bound to happen, but it will also cause plenty of muscle loss and will make you feel miserable. And once you come off it, a lot of weight will also be regained.

3. Boiled Food Diet + No Sugar & Salt Diets

This is the holy grail of every bro scientist gym trainer, you go to them asking how to lose fat in the fastest way possible, and they will recommend: "eat only boiled food and refrain from using sugar and salt".

Well, in a way, this works because you will begin to hate food so much that you will stop consuming it and inevitably lose weight.

Coming to the point: Science has proven numerous times that the body is not concerned with the source but the nutrients. And the fundamental process behind every diet is energy balance i.e. if you eat more than you burn, you will gain weight and if you eat less than you burn you will lose weight. Thus following a diet like this, which gets you fed up in a few days, is a pure waste of time and energy.

You did not get overweight in a few days or weeks, therefore do not expect to get fit in a few days or weeks. Invest in a trainer which can design a training and nutrition plan that is feasible as well as enjoyable for you.